March 17, 2006
A Moment to Remember
By Amanda Wheeler
Circle editor
A contingent of Belmont University administration, students, staff, alumni and trustees boarded a plane to San Diego on Wednesday morning to cheer on their beloved Bruins in their first ever trip to the NCAA Basketball Championship Tournament. The trip may have been short-lived after Belmont's loss to No. 2 powerhouse UCLA, but no one is hanging his or her head for making the trip. Everyone was in agreement: win or lose, this experience was a stellar victory for Belmont's basketball program...
Posted March 17, 2006. LINK. | Comments (16)
Media Coverage
Belmont ripped, historic NCAA trip over quickly; Hang tough with UCLA early before fading - The Tennessean
"Being a senior and this being my last game and playing it in the NCAA Tournament for the first time on a history-making team, there is nothing that can take away from that,'' said Belmont's Brian Collins, a product of Whites Creek. "I would love to go back and play this game again and do some different things. I know Coach (Rick) Byrd's not satisfied with just being in the first round and with the way we went out, and we did want to show people Belmont's a great team.''
Defeated Belmont captures hearts; Students see no shame in losing to UCLA - The Tennessean
The crowd at Belmont's Beaman Student Life Center crammed into the main lounge to watch on a big screen. They were energized, reacting to every shot as if it could been the game winner. The Nashville team kept up for much of the first half against the No. 2-seeded UCLA Bruins. Even when it started to get ugly and the game appeared out of reach, the local crowd's energy kept up.
"You all keep your eyes on Belmont."
Nashville City Paper has an interesting photo from "Selection Sunday" last week, just before it was announced that Belmont would play UCLA.
Posted March 17, 2006. LINK.
Belmont's Dream Season Ends Against UCLA
Bruins Online recaps the Bruins' 78-44 loss to UCLA in the NCAA men's basketball tournament, and also has postgame comments from Rick Byrd and several players.
Posted March 17, 2006. LINK.
March 16, 2006
78-44
The most successful men's basketball team in Belmont University history concluded its season with a disappointing loss to UCLA in the NCAA tournament. CBS Sports: "Belmont didn't flinch in the early going of its first NCAA Tournament appearance. The Bruins of Nashville raced out to their largest lead of the game, 18-12, while UCLA missed 10 of its first 15 shots."
Posted March 16, 2006. LINK.
Halftime
At halftime, UCLA lead Belmont 35-23.
Posted March 16, 2006. LINK.
Jump Ball
The game is under way. UCLA won the opening tip-off, but the Belmont Bruins scored first. Here's how it looked on CBS:
Click images to enlarge.
From Paul Chenoweth here is video of a pre-game pep rally at the team hotel just before the Bruins headed to the arena, viewable in Windows Media Player or QuickTime.
Also from Paul Chenoweth, a great shot of the Cox Arena scoreboard when Belmont was leading UCLA early in the first half:
Posted March 16, 2006. LINK.
ESPN Photo Gallery
ESPN.com has a great photo of Belmont Bruins sophomore guard Justin Hare practicing at Cox Arena, and more Belmont pictures here.
Posted March 16, 2006. LINK.
Game Delayed
The start of the Belmont-UCLA game at Cox Arena in San Diego, originally set for 3:55 p.m. central time, has been delayed to 5:35 p.m., due to a morning bomb scare at the arena, which is located on the campus of San Diego State University. The San Diego Union-Tribune reports that, after a security sweep found a suspicious package, Fire Department bomb technicians using a robot determined the package to be harmless, but the delay left an estimated 2,000 people waiting outside the gates until the “all clear” was sounded about 11:15 a.m. Fans were allowed into the area about 45 minutes later.
Amanda Wheeler of the University Marketing & Communications office and editor of Belmont's Circle magazine, traveling with the Belmont contingent in San Diego, reports, "Everyone from Belmont (team included) is fine, we're all just waiting at the hotel. I'll call as soon as we get another report. ... The team's just ready to play! But obviously they are going to delay everything until it's safe."
While you're waiting, here is a video clip from Belmont coach Rick Byrd's press conference yesterday, viewable via Windows Media Player or QuickTime.
Posted March 16, 2006. LINK.
Fired Up
Paul Chenoweth is capturing video of some of the Belmont students, faculty and staff who traveled with the Bruins to San Diego, including video of a couple of Belmont students doing what Belmont students do when they're at the NCAA men's basketball tournament. Video viewable in Windows Media Player or QuickTime.
Posted March 16, 2006. LINK.
And Now For Something Completely Different
Dr. Jeff Cornwall, director of Belmont's Center for Entrepreneurship, offers some lessons you can learn about public relations from the impact of the success of the Belmont Bruins men's basketball team. Dr. Cornwall is proud to note that the Bruin's senior forward Dan Oliver, shown here holding up the Atlantic-Sun Conference Championship trophy, is an entrepreneurship major.
Posted March 16, 2006. LINK.